SEXUALLY explicit “lads’ mags” should carry “16” or “18” ratings to keep them out of the reach of children, a Mersey MP demanded yesterday.

A report compiled by Crosby MP Claire Curtis-Thomas called for the cinema-style certificates after describing titles such as Nuts, Zoo and Maxim as little better than pornography.

The idea marks a new front in the Labour MP’s long-running campaign to force newsagents to place lads’ mags on the top shelf of their magazine racks.

Her study concludes that attempts at self-regulation by the industry have failed miserably, leaving the Government with an obligation to pass legislation.

A voluntary code of practice recommends that retailers display lads’ mags well above children's eye level and away from comics, but is widely flouted.

Ms Curtis-Thomas said: “The discretionary industry guidelines have failed. Children are still able to access material of a sexually explicit and violent nature.

“We need to have age-related information put on the front of all lads’ magazines, comparable to the existing standards for video, film and television.”